People: CRA Consulting; Blacks Solicitors; Ware & Kay Solicitors; and more

Sheffield-based legal and financial recruiter, CRA Consulting, has revealed the newest addition to its team.

It has welcomed Philippe Nourry, who will be joining as a talent acquisition manager, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise.

After qualifying as a solicitor and working both in private practice and in-house, he brings more than a decade of working within professional services recruitment.

His new role will see him work alongside the CRA team to help serve clients and candidates. He will also help bolster CRA’s specialist Executive Search and Selection Service.

Nourry said: “I’m happy to be part of such a dynamic team and look forward to leveraging my experience to drive impactful results for our clients and candidates.”

Rob Addy, operations director and senior legal recruiter, added: “We’re excited to welcome Philippe to the team here at CRA.

“Philippe is a great communicator and collaborator with a track record of building strong relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders – which are both important skills for recruitment in a fast and ever-changing landscape.”

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Leeds-based Blacks Solicitors has taken a significant step forward in growing its Commercial Dispute Resolution (CDR) team.

It has appointed three new solicitors, Alannah Crux, Victoria Tynan and Christopher Connell, along with chartered legal executive, Michelle Eyre, as part of the firm’s latest intake.

This brings the total number of team members in the CDR team to 24. 

Crux has joined the Holiday & Home Parks team to bolster its expertise and help maintain its position as a specialist in the marketplace. 

Connell has a particular interest in litigation, including the realms of cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens and litigation arising out of the use and abuse of AI.

He said: “Blacks Solicitors is well known for offering a wide range of services and specialisms to its clients.

“It also has a strong reputation in the market and a great workplace culture. It felt like an obvious next step for me to join the firm.”

Eyre brings her expertise to the Real Estate Litigation team, specialising in a broad spectrum of commercial landlord and tenant matters. 

Tynan will support Ian Scobbie in the Insolvency team to navigate a diverse array of claims.

Her expertise will add to Blacks Solicitors’ comprehensive approach to handling intricate legal challenges in the realm of insolvency. 

Luke Patel, partner and head of commercial dispute resolution, said: “Our CDR team has gone from strength-to-strength since its inception in 2000.

“The demand for litigation and support services continues to increase from both new and existing clients due to a host of factors, including continued economic uncertainty, political factors and our reputation in the market. 

“We’re all excited and looking forward to Alannah, Victoria, Christopher and Michelle settling into the CDR team and the firm.

“I am confident that their combined expertise and contribution will have a positive impact on our client offering and further strengthen our cross-team working in line with our vision.”

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Law firm Ware & Kay Solicitors has appointed James Withers as its risk & compliance officer. 

He will ensure compliance with regulatory obligations, professional and practice standards, maintain practice manuals and policies and keep abreast of changes in the regulatory field. 

He will also make certain that the relevant legal, financial and data protection legislation and frameworks are adhered to. 

Withers’ role will see him safeguard the existing structures and procedures as the firm continues to grow.

Originally from Leeds, he arrives at Ware & Kay with over 10 years’ experience in the legal industry. 

Having studied law at Garforth Academy in 2013 he started his career in compliance in 2015 at a banking group based in Leeds. 

With a breadth of experience as a fraud investigator, compliance officer and technical risk investigator, he will lead initiatives designed to embed compliance within the firm and work with the whole team across the three offices to maintain legal standards. 

Withers said: “I am really pleased to be joining Ware & Kay and I look forward to contributing to developing and maintaining the quality of risk and compliance activities in accordance with the highest industry standards.”

David Hyams, managing director, said: “I am pleased that James is joining us as he has a wealth of risk management experience and a strong track record. 

“I look forward to working closely with James as we execute our strategy and focus on maintaining and delivering our exceptionally high standards right across the firm.”

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LCF Law has appointed experienced contentious probate solicitor, Kelly Gilbert, as an associate in its Disputes team.

Gilbert has spent the past 15 years at Lupton Fawcett and specialises in disputes involving wills, trusts and inheritance provision.

She has also successfully completed the Association of Contentious Trusts and Probate Specialists (ACTAPS) course.

In her new role, Gilbert, who is based in the firm’s Bradford office, will work alongside LCF Law partner and disputes specialist, Ragan Montgomery, and solicitor Catherine Schofield, as the firm continues to build on its reputation in the area of contentious probate.

Gilbert said: “Joining LCF Law is an opportunity to further my career at a firm that is widely recognised as a leading employer in Yorkshire and beyond.

“Working alongside Ragan and Catherine, who have a formidable reputation in the field of contentious probate, is also an exciting prospect and I’m looking forward to working with them.”

Montgomery said: “In recent years contentious probate has become a significant area for us.

“This is partly down to an increase in the number of challenges being made to wills, which is often due to more complex family structures and blended families, as well as an aging population, where mental health and whether people have the capacity to make decisions come into play.

“Kelly’s experience in this field will enable us to enhance our services and expertise to clients throughout the UK.

“Crucially, Kelly has a solid track record working across all areas of contentious probate, and especially when it comes to inheritance provision claims, where people have been left with very little or even nothing in a will, so she’s a very welcome addition to our team.”